Confidence
by SnowQueenOfMyHeart
Summary: Elsa has difficulty recognizing her own physical beauty, so she tries to do something to restore her confidence. In the process, she and Anna make an adjustment to their lives that is rather unconventional. Rated T for (tasteful) nudity.


**A/N: I've had this headcanon for a while that Elsa prefers sleeping naked because she finds it to be more comfortable - and the cold doesn't bother her. Recently, I've been chatting with someone on Tumblr about the idea of a nudist!Elsa, and well...this was the result. NOT ELSANNA. This is Snow Sisters; any crude comments will be removed. I want to add that this is mainly an exploration of Elsa's struggle to recognize her own inherent beauty. So without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Elsa had a problem with her confidence. It really was no surprise given her tragic history. Having spent thirteen years of her life isolating herself from everyone, especially her own family, she came to resent her own existence and wondering if it would be better to disappear. Because of her growing powers, she feared she was nothing more than a monster. Nowhere to go but on a rampage. Cursed with powerful magic she did not always understand. When her parents couldn't provide a solution, she assumed the worst. When she lost control at her coronation, her nightmare became reality. When she lost her sister…

Elsa's struggles severely damaged her confidence. She doubted her ability to control her magic. She questioned her fitness to be queen. She was scared that she could never be the sister Anna needed. Therefore, it should not have been surprising that she came to despise herself. And her body.

How could she look at herself and see anything other than a monster? A cruel, terrifying beast? True, she did not always think of herself as a monster, but her self-worth had been so thoroughly diminished that she could not see herself as beautiful. No matter what she wore or what kind of make-up she applied. The girl she saw in the mirror was scared, lonely, and dangerous.

When Elsa reflected on her coronation, what stood out to her was the moment she told Anna she was beautiful, and Anna practically stumbled over herself to insist that the elder girl was "beautifuller". It made Elsa chuckle because of Anna's adorable eagerness, but it also touched her heart because of what she meant.

Then she thought about the first time Anna saw her in her ice dress. Elsa could still remember perfectly the look of awe and wonder on her sister's face. _Woah, Elsa, you look…different. It's a good different._ Those words warmed Elsa's heart. Her sister basically said she was beautiful. She had run away, expecting never to return to Arendelle and certain that no one would see her in such a risqué outfit. After all, what queen would dare show herself in an off-the-shoulder dress with a knee-high slit? But she did not care, for the change felt liberating and exhilarating.

More importantly, it was the first time Elsa truly felt beautiful. The first time she reveled in her own sensuality. With no one around to judge or criticize or tell her to "be the good girl". She was free. So, to hear her sister affirm that she was indeed beautiful…

But even after the Great Thaw, Elsa still lacked confidence in her inherent beauty. No matter how many times Anna insisted that she really was "beautifuller" – and no matter how many times Elsa gently reminded her that was not a real word – she still felt uncertain.

For some time, Elsa had basically avoided having to see herself naked. She had worn conservative outfits after the separation up through her coronation. The thing that stood out in her mind about that day was how constraining and heavy her formal attire felt. Granted, she did have a long and heavy cape trailing behind her. Nevertheless, she could remember the feeling of cloth covering every inch of her skin from the neck down, as if the exposure of a single centimeter of skin would invite gossip or cause her unstable magic to escape. Elsa worried more about her powers leaking out that night than the gossip of dignitaries and nobility. And yet, with her powers now under control, she still questioned the frequent compliments regarding her "natural beauty".

 _Don't these people know how dangerous I am? How dangerous I could be?_ These questions ran through her mind on her coronation. The problem was they remained even months after the Thaw. To Elsa, her physical appearance was flawed, imperfect, or somehow an illusion. She just could not accept that she was blessed with seemingly unnatural feminine beauty.

One night, just a few days after the Thaw, Elsa had been standing in her bedroom late at night. She was getting ready to sleep but caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Pausing for a moment, she took in her appearance. The look of her hair, now wild and more carefree. Her ice dress, shimmering in the candlelight, a work of art. She moved closer to the mirror, examining the appearance of her face. Bright blue eyes filled with trepidation and uncertainty. Pale skin with a light dusting of freckles. She stood there for a minute, searching for the will to do what she was about to do, then took a deep breath.

She waved one hand slowly over the front of her dress, and as she brought it up above her shoulders, the dress vanished. The icy magic disappeared into thin air, and Elsa saw a naked woman staring right back at her. She stood absolutely still, save for the rise and fall of her chest as she tried to breath normally. Hands clenched at her sides, she slowly examined her reflection. It was the first time perhaps in years that she had actually seen herself with no clothes on. Suddenly, it was too much. She rushed over to her wardrobe, grabbed the first nightgown she could find, and hastily pulled it over her head. As she lay down in bed, tears silently leaked out and dampened her pillowcase.

* * *

For several weeks, Elsa would wear a nightgown to bed for propriety's sake. She didn't really like the feeling of tossing and turning in bed with it on, but she figured it was a small nuisance. Plus, Anna kept coming over for sleepovers or bursting in because of a nightmare, and Elsa did not feel entirely comfortable being naked in the presence of her sister.

Then one night, she decided to shake things up. As she got ready for bed, Elsa locked the door. Although she had promised to never shut Anna out, she needed a little privacy tonight. She made sure to remind herself that she could always go unlock the door if her sister showed up. Once again, she stood before the mirror in her customary ice dress. This time, she closed her eyes and waved her hand. She could feel the icy fabric being lifted off her skin. When she opened her eyes, she saw her reflection as before. A naked woman. But this time, the look in her face was less apprehensive.

Elsa willed herself to breathe deeply and evenly. She slowly ran a hand over her shoulders, then across her chest and her stomach. Like a ghost from her past, she reflexively hugged herself as she had done so many times before. The image was a little unnerving, but she knew it was not because of her powers. Elsa was fully taking in her physical appearance, without hiding anything. She noticed how pale she really looked, how smooth her skin really was. She lowered her arms and gazed at her hourglass figure. Complete with ample bosom and full hips. It was like she was seeing her womanly figure for the very first time.

And she loved it.

A small smile graced her lips as she turned away and walked around her room. She savored the feeling of moving about unhindered by clothing, natural or magical. As she approached her bed, she practically collapsed spread-eagle right in the middle. Elsa pulled the covers out from under her and snuggled beneath them, marveling at the feeling of the sheets against her bare skin. That night, she got the best sleep she had had in years.

* * *

After that, Elsa started sleeping in the nude regularly. It was a small act that helped restore confidence in her external beauty. She felt better as she slept with nothing on at all, but she made sure to keep a robe nearby just in case she needed to sprint to Anna's room in the middle of the night. That did happen with some regularity, unfortunately.

As autumn arrived, Elsa found another reason to enjoy being in the buff late at night: the chilly air was refreshing against her skin. Of course, she had known the feeling of cold air washing over her when she had been on the North Mountain, and her ice dress did carry a slight chill. But the cold never bothered her; in fact, it was invigorating. She had found it a nuisance to wear clothing to bed during the summer because the warmth only made things worse. So, to sleep naked when the nights got colder was a welcome relief to the Snow Queen.

One evening, Elsa was preparing a bath for herself. Just as she slipped into the tub, she heard the door open and whipped her head around.

"Anna?!"

There was her sister, standing in a bathrobe. Or she was, but now she had removed said bathrobe and was hanging it up on a mannequin.

"Hi, Elsa! Mind if I join you?"

Elsa was speechless as she tried to think up some response. Before she could answer, Anna quickly made her way over to the tub and got in. She reclined against the side opposite Elsa and hummed with delight.

"Mmm, so warm. This is nice."

Elsa finally found the words. "Yes, it is warm. And mine. Now get out."

Anna looked a little hurt at the harsh tone in Elsa's voice. "Aw, come on! I don't want to wait another hour for hot water!"

"Anna, get your butt out of my bath."

"Geez, Elsa. You're such a stinker," Anna retorted, sticking out her tongue for good measure.

Elsa huffed and crossed her arms, refusing to make eye-contact with her sister. They sat there in silence for a minute or two.

"Hey, Elsa?"

"What?"

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

Elsa focused her attention entirely on Anna, registering what she just heard. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, do I look beautiful?" Anna clarified. "Not right now, probably, because my hair is wet and I'd be dripping water everywhere, but…yeah…"

Anna glanced down and fiddled with her hair. It was a familiar sign of her own insecurity; Elsa knew that by now.

"Of course you look beautiful, Anna," Elsa said earnestly. "You're the most beautiful person in the world. Why would you ever doubt that?"

Anna shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I dunno…I just, um, y'know…I thought…"

"Anna, what is it?" Elsa started to worry. It was very unlike her sister to feel this insecure.

Anna buried her face in her hands and mumbled something.

"What was that?"

She lowered her hands and looked into Elsa's eyes. "…because you're so beautiful."

Now Elsa was really puzzled. "Sorry?"

Anna looked flustered. "Elsa, you're like the most beautiful person to ever exist! And you're my sister! I've always looked up to you, and everyone in Arendelle looks up to you. I mean, obviously because you're the queen, but still! Everyone talks about how pretty or gorgeous or stunning you are. And you know what? They're all right." She paused and said in a quieter tone, "But sometimes, I feel like I'm just not as beautiful. I'm sorry if that sounds selfish."

Of all the things Anna had confessed to Elsa since their emotional reunion on the fjord, this one really squeezed Elsa's heart. It pained Elsa to hear her precious little sister admit that she doubted her own self-worth, and all because she believed she didn't fit societal standards of beauty. It also bothered Elsa to think that Anna felt less confident just because she saw her big sister the way everyone else did – and felt inferior because of it.

"Sunshine," Elsa began, trying to keep her voice even but the heartbreak was evident. So, she tried again.

"Anna, Sunshine, you should never feel inferior or worthless because you are beautiful, inside and out. You are a blessing in my life, and the best thing that ever happened to Arendelle. And if you think that you are not as valued because of what people say about me, then I want you to know that you are more beautiful than I could ever hope to be."

The last part was more than Elsa wanted to share, but the words slipped out. She felt terrible about Anna's belief that she was somehow inferior, but she refused to believe that she was more beautiful than her precious sister.

"But Elsa, you're missing the point," Anna said, apparently not consoled by Elsa's kind words. "You are gorgeous. You are…sexy." Elsa flinched at the word, but Anna kept going. "You have such a wonderful body. Perfect hair, perfect boobs, perfect hips. Come on! How can you say that I'm more beautiful than you?"

Anna sat up and raised herself so that her chest was exposed above the water. "Seriously, you have such perfect breasts, and mine are…well, they're fine but smaller. And I'm constantly looking at myself and seeing a skinny girl, which I guess is fine but I am not as endowed as-"

"That's it. Get out." Elsa commanded, raising herself out of the bath.

"What?"

"Out. Now." Elsa's tone left no room for argument. Anna obeyed and quickly got out of the bath. Elsa gestured with one hand for her to follow, and they both walked over to stand in front of the mirror.

"Anna, tell me what you see."

Anna looked and replied simply, "Two naked sisters who are dripping wet."

" _Anna."_

She looked hard and thought, trying to figure out where Elsa was going with this.

"I…I see a beautiful woman who is perfect the way she is."

Elsa glanced at Anna's reflection. "Now which woman is that?"

Anna replied a little too quickly, "You."

Elsa sighed.

"Anna love, let me tell you what I see. When I look at myself in the mirror, I see someone who has spent the majority of her life convinced that she is a monster and a danger to all. If you spend every day believing that about yourself, it doesn't matter what your reflection shows because you only see what you believe. So when I looked in the mirror, I only saw someone ugly and pathetic, someone unworthy to rule a kingdom. Or be a good sister." She glanced at the real Anna standing beside her before she continued.

"It was only after the Thaw that I began to look at myself this way. Not just naked, but vulnerable and exposed. I spent so long covering up and hiding myself away, I forgot what it felt like to be beautiful. To be free. To not have anything holding you back, literally and figuratively. The first time I saw my own reflection – without any clothes on – I was so ashamed. Yes, Anna," Elsa added, noticing her sister's look of surprise, "I felt ashamed of my own nakedness. But now, I have finally learned to embrace who I am. To not be ashamed of my body. It's hard, and there are days when I am painfully aware of how other people look at me. That's the price of being, as you put it, 'sexy'. But I'm trying to not care as much about other people's opinions. I want to feel comfortable in my own skin. And I want the same for you."

Anna didn't know what to say, settling with a single word – more like a sound: "Oh."

Elsa gently wrapped her arm around Anna's shoulders. "You are beautiful as you are, Sunshine. I am flattered that you think I am the most beautiful woman in the world, but please try to believe that you are too."

Anna slowly wrapped her arm around Elsa's waist and leaned her head against her shoulder. "Only if you will do the same."

Elsa smiled warmly and squeezed Anna gently.

As they stood there, each with one arm draped around the other, they quietly took in their appearance. It occurred to them that it was the first time in forever that either sister had seen the other naked. Neither of them felt the least bit ashamed, though. They were just two sisters who had been starved of the sight and touch of each other for far too long.

Elsa broke the silence with a question. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course," Anna replied, making eye contact with mirror-Elsa.

"You are probably the only person in the world who is ever going to see me this way. You know I have trust issues, and I cannot bring myself to trust anyone else seeing me naked. But you are my sister, and I trust you with my life."

Anna was floored by Elsa's honesty. She gazed up at her sister and said with pure sisterly affection, "Elsa, I understand. You don't have to feel pressured to share your body with anyone. I can't tell you what it means to hear you say that you trust me."

Elsa bopped her nose with a playful finger. "It's only the truth."

"Like how you totally have bigger boobs than me?" Anna said jokingly, complete with a smirk.

Elsa gasped in fake shock and ruffled her hair. "I can't help it if my boobs are better-looking."

"Hey!" Anna huffed, earning a wave of laughter from Elsa. Suddenly realizing that they were no longer hugging, Anna shuffled closer to Elsa's side and wrapped her arms around her sister's waist.

"Anna, what are you doing?"

"You're warm. I'm cold."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Well, let's get back in the tub."

As they walked back over and got in the tub – which was miraculously still warm – Anna quipped, "Honestly, I don't get how you could stand there naked and dripping wet and not feel cold. I me- oh…right." She said, feeling embarrassed as she just remember who her sister was.

"It wasn't exactly pleasant," Elsa admitted, "but you're right, being chilly is not a problem for me." As she relaxed in the warm soapy water, she added, "And just so you know, I started sleeping naked, which feels so much better. Especially now that it's getting cooler."

"Really?" Anna responded, genuinely intrigued. "Guess I should give it a try sometime. Once spring rolls around."

Then Anna's face lit up with excitement. "Ooh, Elsa! We should go to the sauna together! It would feel so great, and you could really use the time to relax."

Elsa considered this. "Just the two of us?"

"Yep!"

Elsa smiled. "I'm in."

* * *

Sometime during the winter season, after the whirlwind of Christmas and Yuletide festivities, Anna finally managed to convince Elsa to take a day off and go to Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna. Elsa's only condition was that they would be the only two in the sauna; Anna agreed, remembering her sister's reluctance to expose herself in the presence of other people. They both enjoyed a relaxing time in the sauna – in the nude, of course.

"We should do this more often," Anna stated casually as she leaned back in her seat.

"What? Sweat in a heated room?" Elsa replied in a teasing manner.

"Well, that and more stuff with just us." Anna paused before adding, "In the nude."

Elsa raised an eyebrow.

Anna worried for a moment that she had said the wrong thing. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just thought, you seem to be feeling more confident lately, and…I figured this kind of stuff…might be what you were missing before?"

Elsa didn't respond immediately. Instead, she considered what her sister meant. True, she had been feeling more confident about herself in the past few weeks. Her time as queen was progressing smoothly and the people loved her. She got to spend practically every day with her favorite person in the world. But she had to admit, opting for an au natural approach at times had helped immensely in restoring confidence in her appearance. It certainly helped that Anna was always reminding her of how beautiful she was and not embarrassed about being naked in the same room. She couldn't have asked for a better sister.

"How about this," Elsa said cautiously, "when the weather gets warmer, we can sneak out sometime and go for a late-night swim. Just us, no clothes."

Anna grinned brightly like they were about to go steal chocolate from the kitchens. "Deal!"

* * *

True to her word, Elsa did make time for her and Anna to go for a late-night swim in the nude once spring arrived. They had to sneak out of the castle without anyone knowing they were gone; the only thing that made it difficult was Anna's eagerness because the whole sneaking-around bit reminded her of their childhood fun. Once they reached the edge of the woods, they made a mad dash to a nearby river, having picked out the spot a few days before. Upon arriving, they stripped completely bare and jumped into the cool water. Anna yelped a bit at the chill, but she soon was having too much fun to notice. Elsa was just happy to be spending time with her sister. Here in the middle of the night, with no one around to see them or judge them, Elsa and Anna could revel in their wonderful, perfect physicality. They were naked, they were happy, and they were carefree. And for Elsa, she felt like the most confident woman in the world.


End file.
